Letter: Register all guns to deter crimes

A plausible measure was recently suggested to treat weapons as we do automobiles e.g. registration, annual accounting, purpose of use and confirmation of ownership.

Ronald BanksLeavenworth

To the editor:A plausible measure was recently suggested to treat weapons as we do automobiles e.g. registration, annual accounting, purpose of use and confirmation of ownership.

I don't feel my personal right to own an auto is in jeopardy by this practice, just common sense. Vehicles have evolved into many varieties. Motorcycles to cars to trucks to RVs to tanks, is one example. A culture that litterally depends on cars for work, for jobs in roads and mass production, for financing, for insuring, marketing, and national defense, etc., is a staple for our lives and economy.

Unfortunately, it is a marvel that has been used for evil purposes also. So many hit-n-runs, drive-bys, speeding accidents, loss of life and limbs plague this history. But, it is not the car that kills, it is its driver. How do you prevent accidents? You will always have some, but you can defer them. Perpetrators must have a deterrent. How do you catch that "hit-n-runner", "drive-byer" or thief? You get the license number and track it back. Registration does not impede ownership or auto rights; it informs of it.

The same coverage can be extended to firearms. Sure, there is nothing perfect anywhere; but we can take a step further. We can expand registration to all arms, central data base updated annually or upon sale or specific situation e.g stolen. Just like cars, as the number of weapons goes up so does the probability of accidents or abuse. Some may say, "if this, what else is there down the line?" We don't know the future, but we do know the past. The many accidents and atrocities to come could be stemmed by keeping track. It seems so "common sense!"

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